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About Bill & Diane Mathis

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Seniors
who live at home, and especially those who live alone, should have an emergency
response system in case of a medical emergency, a fall, or other trauma.Even seniors in good health are at risk of
falling or otherwise injuring themselves at home, where accidents are most
common.An emergency alert system can
mean the difference between life and death in many circumstances.

Emergency
alert systems have evolved over the years and are much more comprehensive
today. Generally, the systems have a pendant
and a console that communicate together wirelessly. Users frequently wear the pendant around
their neck, but may also wear it around their wrist or hips. The user can push
the button on the pendant in case of an emergency, or if they are close enough,
they can press the emergency button on the console itself.

Once
the button is pressed, a call is sent over the phone lines or the Internet to a
service representative at the alert system provider, who then contacts
emergency medical responders or the user’s emergency contacts, depending on the
specific situation.

Unlike
a cell phone, which may be out of reach and difficult to dial in an emergency,
an emergency alert system is worn on the body and is easy to operate. Here are some of the important features to
look for when shopping for an emergency alert system:

Monitoring
Services

·24/7
Monitoring Facility

·Fire
and Smoke Monitoring

·Medical
Monitoring

·CO2
Monitoring

Equipment

·Look
for equipment that has an operating range of at least 600-1,000 feet between
pendant and console

·Emergency
response base station that communicates with equipment

·Pendant
or wristband

·Water
resistant

·Battery
backup

·Wall-mounted
emergency button

·Two-way
communications

·Regular
check-ins from emergency service provider

Professional
in-home caregivers, like those from Always Best Care, can help seniors obtain and set
up their emergency response system from their home with ease, helping seniors
living at home maintain their independence while staying safe and secure.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Identity theft can happen
at any time to anyone.Thieves are very creative
and are always looking for new methods to access personal information for
their own gain. The information thieves are looking for is not always clear –
some things are obvious like Social Security numbers, others are not, like family
relationships and insight on your personal life.

Protection

Here are 10
important tips to follow for preventing ID theft …

1.Only
carry what you need - leave extra credit cards, checks and
documentation with sensitive information (Social Security Cards) at home when
shopping or leaving your home. When carrying Medicare information it is best to
carry a copy and black out the first five numbers of the Social Security number
which most hospitals will accept.

2.Consider
carrying your wallet in your front pocket, in a neck pouch or in a
fanny pack on the front of you.

3.Never
leave your purse or wallet unattended, even at social or religious gatherings where you
feel safe and comfortable - thieves can be lurking anywhere.

4.Keep
an itemized list of the cards you do carry on a daily basis along
with the check numbers you carry so that if your belongings are stolen you can
quickly call and report the stolen cards to the card companies.

5.Before
allowing company into your home, always lock up personal information and laptops
and log off and shut down your computers.

6.Be
especially cautious of using the ATM. Try to always go into the bank, but if you do use
an ATM, only use ones that are lit and take your receipt with you and shred it.

7.Deter
crime from your home with lighting, radios and televisions. Use timers
or motion detectors on outdoor lighting if you can afford it, or leave lighting
on at night when you are away.

8.Never
give out personal information to someone reaching out to you via phone, email,
instant message, text message, door-to-door or through social media. If you
receive a call from a company requesting personal information, inform them you
will hang up and call their primary company phone number to ensure the call is
legitimate.

10.Be
cautious with your generosity - make a charitable giving plan and do not deviate
from it. Check out the legitimacy of every charity before giving them your
hard earned money.

Recovery

If your identity has been
stolen, the sooner you discover it, the sooner you can take the steps necessary
to fix it. Do not let fear, ignorance or embarrassment keep you from doing what
you need to do to protect your finances, your property and most
importantly, yourself!

What victims
should do next …

1.Let
all of your creditors know that your ID has been stolen. Be sure
to keep track of who you talked to, when you talked to them and their job
titles, and phone numbers. Remember, the sooner you notice and report any
discrepancies on your accounts, the easier it is to dispute them.

3.When
you open new accounts, put passwords on them (do not use a password
that relates back to personal information that someone can guess).

4.Contact
the issuing agency of any IDs that were taken - driver's license, state
ID, employment ID. Do not just cancel and replace, ask the agency to put a
caution or flag on your file so nobody else can get replacements.

5.File
a police report and make copies of that report to send to your
creditors. Do this in person rather than using an automated report. If your
police department does not take identity theft reports, ask to file a
"Miscellaneous Incident Report." If you are still unable to file a
report, contact your state Attorney General to find out exactly what your state
law is in regards to identity theft.

6.Find
out from each creditor just what it is you need to do to clear up the mess, and
then do it, keeping track of everyone you talk to and everything you do.

7.Once
all the disputed charges have been taken off your accounts and
everything is resolved, have those companies send you a letter that
states in writing that the disputed accounts are closed and the
fraudulent debts discharged. File and keep copies of these letters to use if
this erroneous information reappears on your credit report.

8.Follow
up to make sure everything has been taken care of and
keep checking your accounts regularly.

9.Report
the theft or fraud to the three major credit bureaus. Have
them place a fraud alert on your account so that new lines of credit cannot be
opened without explicit confirmation by you.

10.Do
not fall for so-called credit repair scams. The only
information that can be removed from your credit report is inaccurate
information, and that is something you can do for yourself.

Reprinted by Always Best Care Senior Services with
permission from

Senior Spirit, a publication of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.

The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) program provides
the advanced knowledge and practical tools to serve seniors at the highest
level possible while providing recipients a powerful credential that increases
their competitive advantage over other professionals. The CSA works closely with Always Best Care Senior Services to help ABC
business owners understand how to build effective relationships with seniors
based on a broad-based knowledge of the health, social and financial issues
that are important to seniors, and the dynamics of how these factors work
together in seniors’ lives. To be a
Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) means one willingly accepts and vigilantly
upholds the standards in the CSA Code of Professional Responsibility. These
standards define the behavior that we owe to seniors, to ourselves, and to our

fellow CSAs. The
reputation built over the years by the hard work and high standards of CSAs
flows to everyone who adds the designation to their name. For more information, visit www.society-csa.com.

Always Best Care
Senior ServicesAlways Best Care Senior Services (www.alwaysbestcare.com/) is based on the belief that having the right
people for the right level of care means peace of mind for the client and
family. Always Best Care Senior Services has assisted over 25,000 seniors,
representing a wide range of illnesses and personal needs. This has established
the company as one of the premier providers of in-home care, assisted living
placement assistance, and skilled home health care in the United States.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

BOSTON (AP) — New research boosts the "use it
or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who
delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other
types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.

It's by far the largest study to
look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to
keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged — all
things known to help prevent mental decline.

"For each additional year of
work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole
Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.

She led the study and gave results
Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide
have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5
million have Alzheimer's — 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the
mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that
slow its progression.

France has had some of the best
Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas
Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on
self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.

Researchers used these records on
more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as
bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an
average of 12 years.

Nearly 3 percent had developed
dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement.
Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing
dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect
those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.

To rule out the possibility that
mental decline may have led people to retire earlier, researchers did analyses
that eliminated people who developed dementia within 5 years of retirement, and
within 10 years of it.

"The trend is exactly the
same," suggesting that work was having an effect on cognition, not the
other way around, Dufouil said.

France mandates retirement in
various jobs — civil servants must retire by 65, she said. The new study
suggests "people should work as long as they want" because it may
have health benefits, she said.

June Springer, who just turned 90,
thinks it does. She was hired as a full-time receptionist at Caffi Plumbing
& Heating in Alexandria, Va., eight years ago.

"I'd like to give credit to the
company for hiring me at that age," she said. "It's a joy to work,
being with people and keeping up with current events. I love doing what I do.
As long as God grants me the brain to use I'll take it every day."

Heather Snyder, director of medical
and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, said the study
results don't mean everyone needs to delay retirement.

"It's more staying cognitively
active, staying socially active, continue to be engaged in whatever it is
that's enjoyable to you" that's important, she said.

"My parents are retired but
they're busier than ever. They're taking classes at their local university,
they're continuing to attend lectures and they're continuing to stay
cognitively engaged and socially engaged in their lives."

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

As the economy improves, many people are still hanging on tight to their finances. Given the economic decline that we experienced in the last few years, this is not a bad idea for anyone. Seniors are no exception to this new habit. If your senior relative is considering ways to save more money, they can start in the following few areas.

Look at monthly bills – Many monthly bills are reoccurring. Take a close look at these bills to see which ones can be reduced. Many companies, especially utility companies, offer senior discounts or plans that help those on a fixed income to be able to afford the services a little easier.

Cut grocery costs – Your senior’s in-home care provider can help your loved one clip coupons on a weekly basis in order to cut grocery costs down. In addition, they can shop the sales at the local grocery stores and purchase store brand products rather than being brand specific, in order to save more money.

Join free senior activities – Many communities offer free services and entertainment for seniors. Your home health care provider can help your relative find appropriate activities to help keep him or her active without having to go over budget.

Plan for gift giving – Staying organized with gift giving can also help seniors save money. When they consider a majority of the gifts they will need to buy each year, they can shop at any time, paying close attention to sales rather than shopping right before the occasion. This enables them to purchase what they really want to give their loved one while saving money at the same time.

Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement! Let us give you peace of mind today and give us a call - (888) 681-1559 ext..0

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The medicine cabinet is one area of anyone’s home that typically gets overlooked as a place to clean or organize. Because medicines only have a limited shelf life, it is important to go through it once in a while to remove expired medicines as well as any that might interfere with new medications a senior may be taking.

Start with expired medicines – Go through the cabinet at least once per year and remove any that are expired. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the proper method of disposal before tossing them though, not every medication can just be thrown in the garbage.

Stock up on necessities – Every medicine cabinet should have the basics, such as over-the-counter pain relievers, antiseptic for cuts and burns, bandages and remedies for stomach aches or heartburn.

Keep prescription medicines close – Try to avoid putting prescription medicines in the back of the cabinet where they might get ignored. If they are something that needs to be taken on a daily basis, keep them up front where they will be noticed and taken in a timely manner.

Talk to the doctor – Seniors should talk to their doctor about the over-the-counter medicines that are safe for them to take, including pain medicines, cold or flu medicines. Some might pose a problem if they are mixed with certain prescriptions. Knowing what is safe to take and what is not will also help keep the medicine cabinet organized.

Your senior’s in-home care professional can help him or her keep the medicine cabinet organized and free from medications that should not be in there, whether they are expired or not safe to take. This will help to ensure the safety of your senior when you cannot be there.

Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement!
Let us give you peace of mind today and give us a call - (888) 681-1559 ext..0

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Summer sometimes means more traveling and sightseeing for families. Depending on your health and abilities, you likely won’t have to change your vacation plans, but you may have to be willing to alter them a bit to make things easier for yourself. A few simple changes can help you enjoy summer plans.

Make plans to have a driver – Having a driver can sometimes be easier on everyone, especially if you think anyone in your party will need breaks whether to use the bathroom or simply to stretch their legs.

Bring plenty of supplies – While you don’t want to over pack, you want to be prepared. Have plenty of changes of clothes as well as plenty of emergency supplies including necessary and emergency medications, first aid supplies, food and water.

Determine necessary accommodations – If you require any special accommodations, try to arrange for them ahead of time, whether with the airlines, hotel or any other establishment to make things easier.

Before you travel, take the time to talk with your home health care to determine exactly what you will need to bring along. The person that works closely with you will have the best insight as to what will make your vacation the most comfortable and memorable as possible.

Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement! Let us give you peace of mind today and give us a call - (888) 681-1559 ext..0

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Whether in attempts to maintain personal safety or due to the warnings of concerned family and friends there are some common misconceptions of senior exercising. There is no reason the elderly can't work out as effectively as everyone else. Following are five delusional reasons seniors can't exercise and the reality of each fallacy.

Misconception #1: You're going to continue to age anyway. Exercising serves no purpose.

Reality: Alzheimer's, colon cancer, dementia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity are a few of the conditions you can improve or avoid by participating in physical activity regularly. Doing exercises and strength training will help you to live longer and feel younger. With the progression of your workout routines you will notice improvements in your endurance and flexibility.

Misconception #2: You need your rest. Exercising is too strenuous for the elderly.

Reality: An inactive lifestyle is unhealthy for seniors. In fact, inactivity leads to the inability to function on your own. Have you ever heard that saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it."? That's true. You didn't spend years in school to gain the education you needed to be successful in your chosen career to let that knowledge just go away after you've retired. You didn't work very hard for years to be the best you could be in your field or build your own business so you could sit around in your senior years and deteriorate. An active lifestyle lowers the risk of living in a world of illness, medication, doctor's visits, hospitalization which is neither attractive nor entertaining.

Misconception #3: If you exercise, you may lose your balance and fall.

Reality: In actuality regular exercising reduces the risk of falling. When you exercise frequently you build strength and stamina. The constant activity enhances your balance and averts loss of bone mass.

Reality: It's never too late. You're never too old. Chances are if you were into health and fitness when you were younger, you are still working out to some extent. But if you've never exercised, or you stopped awhile back for some reason, no problem. Start with something easy and work your way up. A short walk is a good starting point. Just don't overdo it. It's OK if you walk for only ten minutes. In no time at all you will be able to walk for 30 to 60 minutes and ready to move on to more challenging exercises.

Reality: No problem! It's a challenge you can meet. An increased range of motion is only one of the benefits you can enjoy when you do chair aerobics. You can also improve your muscle tone and support cardiovascular health. Other exercises you can do are lifting weights and stretches. If you are wheelchair bound water aerobics will exercise your entire body. It will help you to build strength and endurance.

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Always Best Care Senior Services provides in-home care and FREE assisted living placement!
Let us give you peace of mind today and give us a call - (888) 681-1559 ext..0